y true knowledge of the state of the country, from the moment he
buried it in the gulf of mystery and of darkness, under that collected
heap of villany, Gunga Govind Sing. From that moment he destroyed the
power of government, and put everything into his hands: for this he is
answerable.

The Provincial Councils consisted of many members, who, though they
might unite in some small iniquities perhaps, could not possibly have
concealed from the public eye the commission of such acts as these.
Their very numbers, their natural competitions, the contentions that
must have arisen among them, must have put a check, at least, to such a
business. And therefore, Mr. Hastings having destroyed every check and
control above and below, having delivered the whole into the hands of
Gunga Govind Sing, for all the iniquities of Gunga Govind Sing he is
responsible.

But he did not know Debi Sing, whom he employed. I read, yesterday, and
trust it is fresh in your Lordships' remembrance, that Debi Sing was
presented to him by that set of tools, as they call themselves, who
acted, as they themselves tell us they must act, entirely and implicitly
under Gunga Govind Sing,--that is to say, by Gunga Govind Sing himself,
the confidential agent of Mr. Hastings.

Mr. Hastings is further responsible, because he took a bribe of
40,000_l._ from some person in power in Dinagepore and Rungpore, the
countries which were ravaged in this manner, through the hands of Gunga
Govind Sing,--through the medium of that very person whom he had
appointed to exercise all the authorities of the Supreme Council above
and of all subordinate Councils below. Having, therefore, thus appointed
a Council of tools in the hands of Gunga Govind Sing, at the expense of
62,000_l._ a year, to supersede all the English provincial
authorities,--having appointed them for the purpose of establishing a
bribe-factor general, a general receiver and agent of bribes through all
that country, Mr. Hastings is responsible for all the consequences of
it.

I have thought it necessary, and absolutely necessary it is, to state
what the consequence of this clandestine mode of supplying the Company's
exigencies was. Your Lordships will see that their exigencies are to be
supplied by the ruin of the landed interest of a province, the
destruction of the husbandmen, and the ruin of all the people in it.
This is the consequence of a general bribe-broker, an agent like Gunga
Govind Sing, supersed